Strickerin

Who receives a cardi for a birthday present in January?

2011-01-28T20:38:00.000+10:00

Our precious friend Millie. That is who.

It does feel strange when it is meltingly hot preparing to gift this, but at least it will be ready for the cooler weather. I have made this one with a machine washable nylon acrylic blend to keep things as simple as possible for Millie's Mum.

Pattern Helena by Alison Green Will

Ravelry Pattern Page | My project page

Yarn sirdar snuggly DK

Needle 4.5, 4 and 3mm

Making use of odd balls

2011-01-19T18:45:00.000+10:00

Like just about every other yarn crafter who has been at it for a while, I have quite a big stash. A sizeable part of my collection is leftovers from larger projects or small amounts bought on sale; not enough to make more than a very small project. Inspired by the blanket from my PJ friends on Ravelry, I have decided to make some more. A local church collects 20x20cm knitted squares so any that don't fit in can be donated and go to someone in need.

I will make a few different afghans based on colourways and fibre content, starting with wool. I am also aiming to put a photo of each square listing fibre, what else I used it for and the stitch pattern in my projects page on Ravelry. Here's to some lovely blankets and a much leaner yarn kitty.

Flood

2011-01-14T18:26:00.000+10:00

I am kind of double posting by putting this photo on both of my blogs, but I am trying to stick to very few words on 2011 in photos and I want to speak more about this image.

Of course everyone already knows about the floods that have rocked the eastern states of Australia including the so called inland tsunami and the devastation of our third biggest city. Now we have reached the time after the immediate threat. People can stop, breathe and assess what the hell just happened as the waters begin to recede and they can go back to what is left of their homes and businesses.

Eleventy billion tonnes of water has spewed out of the Brisbane river into Moreton Bay. So much debris is stretching way up and down the coastline. There is everything from what is left of boats to fruit, trees, wooden pailings, doors, toys and even this water tank which I spotted in Bramble Bay today.

The water tank became such an iconic sign of the severe ten year drought our state has recently climbed out of. Governments were subsidising their purchase in the hope that more households and businesses would take advantage of using their own water for things like garden maintenance, filling pools and the like.

Now here this one sits in the bay. I would assume that it was not in anyone's yard because it would have been full of water so too heavy to move. Still, seeing this item sitting in the bay so far from where it belongs is very sad indeed.

My blanket

2011-01-09T16:10:00.000+10:00

I have something very special to show you today which has been created by twelve women from opposite parts of the globe who are different to each other in many ways. What we have in common is we love to knit and we also share the guilty pleasure of wearing PJs all day when we get the chance. About 18 months ago we took part in a swap where we would send knitted squares 20x20cm so we could each make our very own blanket in a colour scheme of our choice.

This is the photo that I shared with the group to give an idea of the colours I was hoping for was this one, taken near a family member's home.

The squares all arrived in the weeks before H's birth and as I have mentioned, life became rather hectic for a while so they sat in storage waiting. Finally I have made my squares to go with it and sewn them together. I love this blanket so much and feel like I am getting a hug from my PJ soul sisters whenever I snuggle up in it.

Project page on Ravelry

A knitty and kitty new year

2011-01-04T17:24:00.001+10:00

With the monsoon we have been experiencing and the lack of school run in the day I have been able to make some time for knitting. This is the Helena I mentioned in my last post, just about finished and ready to be gifted to our friend.

For mindless evening knitting, I have completed Baktus though don't have any photos yet as I have not sewn in all the ends.

Other than that, there really is not much more to report other than the sad news that our very old cat, Venny has gone to kitty heaven where she is no longer annoyed by children, having to wait a whole two minutes for her food and the big cat next door.

New year, new blog

2011-01-01T20:50:00.000+10:00

All of 2010 I visited my friend Jen's 365 One a Day blog and have felt inspired to do one of my own this year. I make no actual promises to post anything of real quality, but I am going to give it a go.

Please if you would like, pop on over from time to time.2011daily.blogspot.com

Craft to brighten a rainy day

2010-12-12T16:39:00.000+10:00

I found a great tutorial to make these paper flowers at How About Orange a little while back. Today seemed like a great day to give them a go. We flipped though magazines to choose which pages to use and I pity B's future partner. She was immediately drawn to the Tiffany ad.

The girls have also been working on sewing some gift tags which I can't show here in case any of the recipients read this, and I am knitting another Helena for a little friend's January birthday, because nothing says happy birthday like a cardi in the middle of summer.

I really suck at blogging these days

2010-11-19T20:14:00.000+10:00

Where has the time gone? Honestly this is ridiculous. My last post was in the holidays and now we are right at the end of term 4. We have been enjoying the warm, long days, all the yummy summer fruits and celebrating the lovely flowers in bloom.

We sadly said goodbye to the jacarandas at the girls' school in preparation for new buildings. Come January the school will have sixty more children than it did 18 months ago when G started. G has the countdown to the holidays, and her birthday which falls in the first week. On the flipside, B has continued her countdown to the first day of prep. I have helped out in the tuckshop a few times his term and G's teacher has been kind enough to have B in class for the day. She had such a ball.

H has a cleft clinic appointment in a couple of weeks. In the meantime we were at the gp this week for a bout of tonsillitis where we discovered that her left grommet is still in. On her right side there is a fluid build up

but no infection right now. That is the ear that tends to play up so we will keep an eye on it.

Her speech is slowly coming on. We have been working on a few exercises to help get those front of mouth sounds happening. We are still signing with her and find it invaluable.

The GP also wants to keep a bit of an eye on her weight. Like her sisters and me as a toddler, H is a skinny minnie. I know that she is healthy and that this is just the way she is, but because she will need surgery again before her next birthday I will be watching this more closely than I did her sisters.

And me? I have finished breastfeeding now. My body had enough and it was getting to the point where I was just not getting enough each pumping session for the time I was taking to feel worthwhile. This has given me hours every single day and we don't need to rush home all the time for me to pump.

I have knitted some longies for a little friend and some fingerless mits for a big friend. More about those to come. No promises for when I will actually get around to it though!

Spring shower and the paddle pool

2010-09-28T20:40:00.001+10:00

Top notch school holiday fun. These ones have been great so far with trips to the beach, library, art gallery and cafes. In a first since H's birth, no appointments so it has all been about reconnecting and relaxing.

Simple circle skirt

2010-09-27T18:51:00.000+10:00

Today was a time warp with a trip back to the fabric store where I spent countless hours against my will as a child. This placed must have been around for about a bazillion years. It was old when I was little and has not changed a bit, right down to the staff, accounting method (scribbling on cardboard), no eftpos or credit card sales and probably some of the stock.

Our mission today was to gather goodies to make some circular skirts. I bought some lovely cotton but decided to see if my abilities are up to par with some fun sparkly fabrics for dress ups. There are plenty of tutorials on the internet so making the pattern was actually quite easy. Both girls were happy and I feel that I am up to the challenge to make some actual clothes for them.

Again my photos are really dodgy, but in 2010 the year of compromise, near enough IS good enough. I will try to dig up some photos of last month's sewing, an Abaya for G to wear to book week.

Belated birthday post.

2010-09-23T20:10:00.000+10:00

This is late, but cute nonetheless. She was not well on her birthday so the actual day was a very low key affair. She has taken her first steps but still prefers to crawl, loves to climb the stairs and trying to keep up with sisters.

Speaking of, here are my girls on the day of their 1st birthday parties, all in the same sweet little Esprit outfit. I just wish that I had taken a proper photo of H before she had lasagne all over her face, was overtired and had a bunch of people singing happy birthday. She looks petrified!

Aside from the pale skin and blue eyes, they really don't look that alike.

Here is a photo of me to add to the mix too. I think that H looks most like me.

Reflecting

2010-08-19T20:36:00.001+10:00

I am having so much trouble getting my thoughts into words today so please excuse the fuzz. I have been thinking about the last year and everything that has happened. Now that H has had her palate repair and is getting on with being an almost toddler I have had the chance to think about her babyhood and how it was completely different to what we expected.

In the minutes before the ultrasound where we found her cleft I was sitting in the waiting room knitting and talking to a lovely old man. His wife was in for a routine scan to check on something or other in an existing condition she had. I have no memory of what it was, but I do remember the love in his words when he talked about her and the adventures they had in their long lives together. I wonder if her news that day was positive. I have only thought about that couple and that moment in time speaking with the man a couple of times since. Once when H was about three months old and I confessed to my homeopath that I had not picked up my knitting needles since that day, and the second time when I finally did pick up my needles to finish the piece I was working on. What a bittersweet feeling that was.

I know I have said it about a thousand times in my blog since her birth, but H really is such an amazing person. One of the Mums at school described her perfectly last week; a busy little girl. She just has so much that she wants to get on with and do. This now includes opening the dishwasher and standing up to open the tupperware cupboard. She will open things, pull everything out, have a play and then move on to the next place I have left accessible to her and repeat.The girls put her on the hand me down tricycle last weekend. She had a ball and was so cranky when it was time to come inside. So much to do and such a strong personality wanting to do it.

This is a far cry from her early weeks when we were just home from the hospital. There were a few days where she was very sleepy and just did not want to feed. After a fantastic pep talk from my oldest and dearest friend, I used a special squeezy bottle to get more milk in with less effort on her behalf. Following that there has been no looking back and now our clever poppet is even signing for milk or food when she needs nourishment.

Our girls have all just grown before our very eyes. G who used to be so clingy almost forgets to kiss me goodbye at school and B has had a countdown going on for the last four months to her prep orientation. Both have been through so much and come out strong yet caring.

H has her 12 month check up tomorrow. I am getting in early as we have a busy few weeks ahead. It is with a new doctor as her gp has gone on maternity leave. I am cyber stalking her as we speak and really hope she is nice and caring. I can tell that she is around my age, educated at UQ, has children of her own, prior to starting at the clinic last month was a paed in the public system and likes to shop online at my friend Nikki's favourite shop, Charlipop. Will know more tomorrow.....

Another celebration

2010-07-31T08:29:00.001+10:00

We recently went to a wedding at Nooorrsa but did not realise until too late that the sd card for the camera was back in Brisbane. It has been lovely seeing photos taken by friends and family that have captured things we would have missed had we been taking them. I love my girls in this one. H, looking more like a toddler than a baby, as always is watching and learning from her sister and G is so delighted playing in the sand.

The wedding was just gorgeous and bride and groom seemed to have a blissful day. Tea Tree bay was a wonderful setting followed by a fun reception at Berados. Children were really looked after by the restaurant with a great kids table complete with paper on the table for them to draw on and nice meals instead of the usual nuggets and chip fare. My big girls were seated with a lovely family of four girls and had such a good time. Husband and I were seated next to her parents who were egging us on to got for a forth "to even things up". Yeah, I don't think so!

An old favourite

2010-06-29T12:50:00.000+10:00

In keeping with simple delights for these holidays, this morning we made some play dough. As usual I used the trusty recipe from the cream of tartar tub.

2 cups plain flour
4 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup salt
2 cups water
Food colouring

Place all ingredients into a saucepan and heat at a medium temp until it forms a dough that is not too sticky.
Once it has formed a dough, bring out and knead as it cools.

It is the first time I have made it since we have been back in Australia so has kept their attention all morning. Meanwhile I am being a big sook wrapped in my dressing gown complaining about the cold weather. My trusty smartphone tells me that it is 11 degrees (51F) outside. YUCK.

Debrief

2010-06-27T11:51:00.002+10:00

Monday saw our little one's palate repair. She was on morphine afterward so everything was a bit of an effort. Pesky things like breathing and staying awake were all too hard to bother with.

She had a moderate amount of bleeding too, but nothing too bad.

All but one of the registrars changed over since her last procedure. One of the new ones is fantastic and from a parent's perspective I see a good future for him. He cuddled H a couple of times and engaged with her. He also did all the right things with me like introducing himself and answering questions thoroughly. The new woman however has a little further to go..

The NUM was fantastic and very available with his office door, which is in the main corridor usually open. As usual the nurses were wonderful. They really are angels.

Another thing I appreciated about the visit was that the anaesthetist recognised that H was unsettled before her op so asked me to accompany her into theatre. This is not something they routinely do with babies under the age of 1. It was good to see for myself that within seconds of getting into theatre she was asleep and ready to go and the volunteer explained to me that having me there, H took deeper breaths than she would have if she were even more unsettled.

Things were pretty heavy on the ward. Last time she was in there were lots of misadventure by otherwise healthy kids leading to a night's stay and tonsillectomies. This time there were quite a few regulars and new babies with a long road ahead.

Feeding has been an absolute bitch. Usually H feeds herself and takes her own bottle. Maybe once a day I can give her a cuddle while she drinks her milk. As you can imagine, going from being able to feed yourself to wearing arm splints and not being able to suck or eat is no fun. I had a big teary one day after she vomited a whole feed when I gave her panadol. I got the head tilt and "would you like a break" from the nurse. I chose to grab a blanket and cuddle up for a nap with my sweety which was a much better choice for us.

The speech therapist from the hospital and our CleftPALS contact have both given me many, many suggestions. Something that works for one feed often does not follow on to the next. Our biggest success has been mashed potato and pumpkin with her milk poured down the side. Each mouthful is mainly milk and a bit of mash. So 2.5ml at a time we are slowly, messily getting the food in.

She has found a new passion this week, drawing. Big sisters use whiteboard markers on the fridge and she has a go at every chance she can get.

So now we are on to the school holidays. All three girls have colds so we are keeping close to home while they get well. Stopping and appreciating simple things like a cubby in the backyard is probably just what they need right now. A nice way to finish a big week.

One last thing on an already long (for me) post, where were we when we heard about our first woman PM? Awaiting discharge from the hospy sitting at her bed. Everyone else in the room had their TV on and another family had to tell me what was going on. That explained why I could not find ABC kids earlier while flipping through the channels.

Sign baby

2010-06-17T19:04:00.002+10:00

H's Speech Therapist suggested introducing some signs to help her on the way to speaking. I think even after palate repair it will be good while she works out what to do with all the new sounds she will (hopefully!!) be able to make. I have been making the sign for milk with her over the last couple of weeks as well as singing songs with gestures like Twinkle Twinkle and Open Shut Them.

I found little gem at the ABC shop yesterday and have already mentioned it to a couple of Mums who have children with delayed speech or hearing issues so I thought I might as well post about it here. Gorgeous Sofya from Play School teaches AUSLAN with interviews from parents and great tips to help making signing with babies / toddlers a success. On top of that, there are some nursery rhymes to sign and sing along to.

Just a few days till her op now. Last time around it consumed almost all my thoughts, but this time it is not quite as intense. I have dropped trying to get her to practice with her post op teats as it was just leading to tears- hers as well as mine!! We WILL get there.

Sign Baby

Rated: E (exempt from classification)
Released: 2009
ISBN / Catalogue Number: 0760680

Then and now

2010-06-16T21:59:00.001+10:00

Four years ago we had a ballet obsessed little girl. Each day she would wear dress ups or at the very least a twirly dress.

She spent hours reading her book Tina Ballerina's Ballet Class by Christian Posey and dancing along following the directions.

Now the twirly dresses are a thing of the past but she is now taking ballet class and looks very elegant in her uniform.

Nine months

2010-06-11T23:21:00.001+10:00

Nine months ago the sweet girl beside me was a tiny little baby less than 24 hours old. She was drinking mls of colostrum through a syringe while sucking on a finger. Now she wants to hold her very own bottle. (still my

milk- Hooray!!)

Less than two weeks until her palate repair and I am feeling those same things again. Some of the unknown has been removed and I know full well that her recovery will be horrible and sad and overwhelming for both her and me. She is still refusing to use appropriate teats for post op and I fear that things are going to be even worse in the feeding department than after her lip repair.

For now though, here's to a my sweet, tenacious, funny, joyous 9 month old.

New cardi

2010-05-30T17:08:00.001+10:00

She just keeps on growing! All the other cardigans I have made for her have already been passed on to little friends so it was time I make another one.

Pattern Helena by Alison Green Will

Ravelry Pattern Page | My project page

Yarn Yarnbee

Needle 4 mm and 3mm

Also it is very hard to get a shot of her sitting still. As soon as I snapped this she was back to her usual antics.

Teething sucks

2010-05-24T23:32:00.001+10:00

She is not doing too badly, but it would have been nice with all the challenges she faces with her mouth to have this as painless as possible.

In the past week, at eight months of age we have had

first teeth. yes plural, she really does refuse to do things in halves
pulling herself up to standing only to fall right back on her bum. This does not stop her trying again minutes later.
clapping hands
climbing one step
she pretends to read books and play with the doll house dolls too. It is the cutest thing. She will pick up a book or doll and make talking sounds. Her babbling is very limited due to her cleft but it is so lovely to see her having a go.

She really is my sunshine.

Go fly a kite

2010-05-16T13:26:00.000+10:00

My poor SLR camera continues to be neglected and this is another photo from my Blackberry. I can't remember the last time I posted a photo here that was not from my phone. I guess it just goes along with my motto for the year that sometimes near enough really is good enough.

Being overcast and a little cool, it was the perfect day for the annual Redcliffe Kite Fest. It sure has grown since the days when I used to live and the Cliffe with markets, rides stunt planes and the sky divers landing in the next park.

I bought some pretty for H from a Sunshine Coast company, Little People. Their garments are made locally and are just too divine.

Now I am off on a Mummy daughter date with G, to fly a kite.

It's official

2010-05-09T08:55:00.001+10:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the other number 1's

How do you feel today?

2010-05-06T09:33:00.000+10:00

Says it all. How's the serenity?

An antisocial month

2010-05-02T08:18:00.003+10:00

I have been in quite an antisocial place over the last month or so. It began when the girls all got sick right round the school holidays. I had it too but have not quite found my groove again. Computer time seems to have vanished all together and I am falling asleep early in the evening, setting my alarm for my 10pm pump. On top of that, H is getting to the age where people are beginning to ask when I am going to stop expressing milk for her. I am not ready to stop yet and only want to hear encouraging words. Finally, even if I wanted to get out and about more I have to plan things around my pumping schedule.

H is crawling all over the place and eating everything in sight. Some of my younger sibs were little vacuums like her, scouring the floor and putting each little thing in their mouths so her ways are not a complete shock to me, but still very different from big sisters.

Speaking of, G is going very well and enjoying school and guitar. Her swimming really came along before the break started too. Poor B is still working on getting over the bug she had. She is not quite 100% yet, but we are working on it.

I have been doing a little knitting. Mainly drink cosies for the school fete which is coming up in July. I am going to market them toward both coffee and smoothie cups. It has been a good way of reducing my scrap yarn and I can donate the ones that don't sell for next years Mother's Day stall.

Then there is Lacy Baktus for my gorgeous Homeopath. I don't know how I would have made it through the last 12 months without her.

The photo is really dodgy because I was in a rush to get it to her.

Pattern Lacy Baktus by Strikkelise

Ravelry Pattern Page | My project page

Yarn Moda Vera Baci

Needle 7mm

The girls have been asking me to teach them knitting again. I really struggle each time I try to show them because I knit left handed (mirror to the English method). When I try to show them right handed knitting it almost blows my mind. I just can't do it very well.

Yesterday I had a go at Continental with the Norwegian Purl and I may well be a total convert. Time will tell. As for the teaching, B said that I can finish the doll blanket for her, so it looks like class is dismissed until next time one of them ask to learn.

An actual post about knitting

2010-04-06T20:33:00.002+10:00

Yep. Finally a FO worth photographing and sharing. This yarn started out as a cardi I was working on for H while she was in hospital, but I just could not get into it. Maybe that was not the colour to be working with in a surgical ward...

Anyway, now it is a lovely scarf for me and also a sling for B's favourite doll. Meanwhile I am already halfway through my next project, Lacy Baktus a gift for someone special.

Pattern 5th Avenue from Tentenknits blog

Ravelry Pattern page | My project page

Yarn Pure bamboo worsted by Wendy

Needle 6mm

Some happy

2010-03-30T20:18:00.000+10:00

I was about to post about how much I hate H's nasal stents and how they are the bane of my existence for now. Instead here is a countdown till the buggers come out for good. Can't wait!

Secondly, here is a little piece of happy that has become a part of our evening routine. We love Giggle and Hoot around these parts. H even lets me know when she wants me to sing it in her own special way.

Giggle & Hoot Lullaby for ABC Kids from zspace on Vimeo.

Torture...

2010-03-17T23:14:00.000+10:00

... is watching your sisters have a ball at their swimming lessons and having to sit on the side.

Her persistence I have spoken about came out in the minutes before I took this photo. I placed her on the ground holding her hand as she does not sit by herself yet. So I thought. She twice pulled away from my hand so she could sit up herself. I think I was told in no uncertain terms there.

Sisters were both awesome at their lesson progressing very well under the guidance of a swim teacher who has been around the block many times now. She knows exactly how to get them to try new things with confidence and complete trust.

This s____ is bananas b a n a n a s

2010-03-13T12:10:00.000+10:00

A post about nasal stents

2010-03-12T22:27:00.000+10:00

I can't seem to find much information online about nasal stents and the first time I actually saw them was when they were already in H's nose post op. The hospital only gave very vague instruction too so I thought it may be useful information to have here. The reason she wears them is to help shape her nose.

They are to be worn 24/7 and I was told she will be wearing them for approximat€ely 3 months.

So here they are. Little, made of silicon and with holes so she can still breath through her nose. They come in different sizes. She wears a 2.

They are held in with adhesive tape. The surgeon initially suggested using steri strips but because she keeps pulling them out we are now using Hypafix which is stronger. I like the lines on the hypafix as they make cutting the right size and placing the holes in the right spot easy.

So she can breathe, they need holes cut in them. Quite a pain using scissors as they did in the hospital. When I told the plastics registrar that I planned on using a hole punch and he was doubtful it would work. Little does he know the treasure that can be found at the craft store.

The holes are places about a cm apart. I also pull some of the backing tape away from the adhesive and make a little snip into it before placing it back in place. This makes it much more easy to pull it off when it comes time to replace her tape.

Here we are, taped up and not at all happy about it. You can clearly see her cleft palate in this shot too.

Six of the fastest months ever

2010-03-11T17:32:00.001+10:00

Here we are. A gorgeous yummy big girl who is looking very tired in this shot taken not long before nap time today.

What can I tell you about her?

She loves being around children and gets a thrill every morning when we go to school. While there, she can spot a staff member who is close to our family from over 15 meters away and will follow her with her eyes.

She is already waving and trying to clap.

She twice has crawled off the bed, once crawling down between us to the end, then off the side. She now sleeps in a cot.

She is highly driven. As we feared, she pulls her nasal stents out all the time and we are now waiting on a second replacement set to arrive from the hospital. Apparently most babies are ok with wearing them, but now and again they get a Houdini who thinks they are optional.

She has the most threatening "you've got to be kidding" look I have ever seen on someone so young. On a day when we have been driving more than usual, I put her in her seat only to receive that look.

She loves cuddles and snuggles right in.

I have a little song that I made up for her and she shakes her shoulders as if to dance when I sing it to her.

She is our world.

An unusual milestone

2010-03-10T21:03:00.001+10:00

Because I got the news of H's cleft lip and palate the day before her birth, I began expressing immediately making today a special milestone for me. Six months of exclusively expressing for my sweet little girl

By my accounts that is around

170 litres of breastmilk I have produced
540 hours attached to my pump
Countless more hours washing pump parts and bottles

I have the most fantastic pump on the market which is backed by a rep here in Queensland who has been very helpful each of the times I have needed help. Without my Medela Freestyle, the backup of both the rep and Mothers Direct where we bought it, there is no way I would have made it this far. I can hold the breastpump in the palm of my hands and it has a rechargeable battery, meaning I can take it pretty much anywhere with me. This makes commitments like hospital appointments and trips to the emergency dept easier knowing that I have everything I need right there.

I am not the only one who does this by a long shot and there are fantastic support groups out there. In fact, in the early days when I was waking during the night to pump I would read the emails submitted to yahoo groups as I was pumping, reminding me that I am far from alone.

H has a very big interest in foods that everyone else eats and has had a few little tastes this week of fruit. A little piece of apple, banana or watermelon here and there. This is the beginning of her weaning, though I expect she will be drinking my milk for a long time to come.

Cupcake dream

2010-03-10T11:34:00.000+10:00

At the ripe old age of four, B has nightmares sorted. Yesterday she told me that when she has scary dreams that she whispers "change to the cupcake dream please". She says it works every time, but you have to say please.

So what happens in the cupcake dream? "Well there's fairies on them and sprinkles. They are on a plate and everyone gets to eat them."

Love it.

Monday morning

2010-03-01T12:24:00.000+10:00

A rainy commute today. It feels so cleansing for the start of a new week, month and season. Autumn is my very favourite time of the year so the girls and I celebrated it's arrival yesterday by cooking up a big pot of vegetable soup. It is G's and my favourite but surprisingly DH and B enjoyed some too. Usually he likes a ton of commercial chicken stock in his soup, but I refuse to use it.

The other new thing that we are celebrating is no more arm splints and pipette teat for sweet H. She is so happy to have her fingers back to suck on.

A return to routine

2010-02-23T11:22:00.001+10:00

Before I became a mother I did not care for routine. It was probably a by product of being a shift worker for 11 years. It did not take G long to teach me that she does need and like a familiar rhythm so with all the changes our family has gone through, finding and establishing routine is what sets everyone back to a peaceful place.

After H's surgery and everyone in the family but me being ill last week it is time to get back to what we do best. DH is back at the office, G is at school with us doing the school run. My washing is on the line and H is down for her morning nap. B is enjoying having some personal space and my undivided attention.

Serenity now.

H looks gorgeous. The surgeons did an amazing job which is even more obvious now her sutures are removed. I must admit I find the change a little confronting after so many months of loving her with her cleft. It is lucky those cheeky eyes and blonde hair are the same. She is still not feeling 100% after her fever but she is eating up a storm and her temp has not spiked again so that is a good sign.

Did I say things were going very well?

2010-02-20T15:34:00.001+10:00

Not long after my last post I noticed that H's temp was quite high for her. After further monitoring over the next few hours, we ended up in the hospital for a sleep over while the Drs did tests to try to work out where the infection is from. Is it the same bug that has struck her sisters and now Dad or is it an infection in relation to her surgery? We still don't know but I have been able to bring her home with the instruction that if she gets worse I am to take her to the children's hospital where a member of the plastics team can look at her.

Either way we will be back in on Monday for her sutures removal.

The hospital where we spent last night was the one where H was born. It was almost like a little homecoming with familiar paediatricians looking after H which was comforting. One was actually present at her birth. Just as lovely, when one of the nurses went down to maternity to get some breast pump parts for me she mentioned to the midwives that there was a little cleft affected girl on the ward. The midwives asked if it was H and were very excited to hear that aside from the fever she is going well. One even popped in this morning to say hello which was so nice.

So for now, we are keeping and eye on her and giving her some antibiotics. Funny, a couple of weeks ago I was concerned about maybe having to add some thickener to her breastmilk wondering what it would do to her tummy. I now realise how precious I was being and that sometimes you just have to let go of the ideals and do what you can under the circumstances presented.

Presenting

2010-02-19T10:09:00.001+10:00

Whoops. Wrong daughter. My Jan and Marcia have been quite sick themselves. Must have picked up a bug in the hospital when they came in on Monday.

H is eating more each day, but is still frustrated by the teat we are using and her arm splints. As I write this, she is holding one of her toys at arms length and manoeuvring the tag to her mouth so she can suck. Where there's a will...

I saw that my blog buddy Amanda's cleft team have a slightly different approach to post op arm restraints. Plaster casts.

Here is our darling. Still in b&w as she is a bit red

Recovering

2010-02-15T14:51:00.001+10:00

1 day to go... finalising

2010-02-14T23:47:00.000+10:00

Here she is on her last trip out in her Ergo for a little while. It felt so strange to think that next time we are out shopping she will look different.

This weekend has seen meals from some lovely women placed in our freezer ready to nourish our family. Another special arrival was my friend's sweet baby girl. I can't wait to meet her.

Tonight the reality of H and I being away hit home to the girls. It was heartbreaking to see them so upset about their sister. I still feel quite numb and have done for a few days now. My stress earlier in the week has given way to almost a feeling of denial or maybe its resignation that this is not in our hands.

I will try to update tomorrow.

Thank-you everyone who has left messages or been in contact with us in other ways. Every message of love and hope helps us and means a lot.

3 days to go... chilling

2010-02-12T21:34:00.004+10:00

This morning saw us relaxing with friends. They have hundreds of finches and the sound of their song was just beautiful.

The afternoon brought guitar practice. Won't be long before the Stairway riff fills our home.

I am trying to spend as much time as I can with H's sisters as I know it will be hard for them having us away from home.

4 days to go... reflecting

2010-02-11T21:12:00.000+10:00

Our darling is five months old today.

Pure love.

5 days to go.. gathering

2010-02-10T21:54:00.000+10:00

There are some interesting new things in our home this week. From ear plugs and head wraps to protect her ears from the wet once her grommets (ear tubes) are inserted to rocking pink arm splints and fan dangled teats.

Her splints are made with love by a CleftPALS volunteer and the association will buy them back after her two weeks of torture, but I think we should save them as a souvenir.

Mood today- thankful

For the lovely warm wishes and messages of love and hope we have received.

For some generous offers of help that have come our way.

That DH will be able to take time off work so our big girls can have him to care for them.

Finally that our darling is strong and healthy. She will bounce back.

6 days to go.. visiting

2010-02-09T20:17:00.000+10:00

Pre op appointment today, and boy were we busy. Sometimes when we are at the hospital there is a ton of waiting but today it was from one thing to another. No time for knitting and only time for half of an expressing session.

H really seemed to like the plastics registrars and the audiologist but again she was not keen on the ENT with the pointy thing going in her ear.

Now we are both exhausted and ready for bed.

7 days to go- contemplating

2010-02-08T20:25:00.002+10:00

One week out and today I have been contemplating things big and small.

Big things-

How will she feel to wake up with her face feeling entirely different.

my guess is she will adapt very quickly. It will be us who need a little more time.

What effect will all of this have on her sisters

they will really miss us and will be concerned if they see her in pain. As for her appearance, they completely love her and take her as she is, no worries there.

Will anything go wrong

Probably not. She is in great hands.

Not so big things-

How much milk should I take in just in case my supply drops significantly while we are in there

If I don't take enough, I can always ask for DH or someone to bring some in.

Questions to ask at our pre op appointment tomorrow

I feel really well informed about the surgery and admission process from the information already supplied. Really just housekeeping questions about life on the ward, and maybe a look tomorrow to get a feel for the lay of the land.

What I need to buy to take in
How to finish her little cardi. Because she will have a sore mouth, we won't want to be putting clothes over her head so I have knit a few things to wear. Just need to work out the finishing touches
What do I need to organise so things run smoothly here while we are away

Great thing-

NO MORE LIP TAPING!!!!!

I am trying for now not to think of what she will do with nasal stents if they are fitted. One thing at a time Lisa

All in all, as the day edges closer, I feel somewhat organised and ready for the next chapter. Before one of H's appointments with her orthodontist I met a lovely couple with a sweet 4 year old daughter who has the same kind of cleft as our darling. They said that at the time her lip repair seemed like a massive deal but now it is just a distant memory. I expect that before I know it, I will be saying the very same thing to someone else.

Birthday

2010-02-05T23:42:00.000+10:00

Birthday time at ours again. The card on the left is from the girls and the one on the right is from his Mum. She never misses out on sending a card for special occasions. She really is a special lady who raised a clever, ambitious yet caring man. I think I'll keep him.

Waking up from nap time

2010-02-04T15:10:00.003+10:00

She's just too yummy for words. I am trying to take as many photos as I can pre op. I will miss this gorgeous face. It is already dramatically different to the way she was born because of her plate and taping, but being a gradual change it was easy to cope with.

Ten days time brings a big change and a new beginning. Knowing her, she will take the challenge of recovery beautifully while exercising her rights to pull off her arm splints and nasal stents while she is at it.

The tide is high

2010-02-01T14:15:00.000+10:00

This king tide and the blustery winds have come at a big time for us and I can empathise everything getting blown about all over the place.

H now has a surgery date, two weeks from today. It will be the first of many medical procedures she will have between now and early adulthood with an uncomfortable recovery which includes he pain of the procedure, drinking from a hard plastic pointy teat, no sucking her fingers and wearing arm splints. for two weeks.

I have finally pulled out my needles and am working on finally completing this for her to wear post op when we won't want to be putting things over her head in cast they knock her sore little mouth.

Another year, another new home

2010-01-11T21:30:00.003+10:00

Here we go, moving again. In her four years sweet B is now up to six homes in three different cities across two different continents. My husband and I had the very opposite in our upbringings. His Mum only eighteen months ago sold after fifty years and my Dad still lives in my childhood home. My hope for the next 5 years is for us to not move as often and for all three girls to have the opportunity to stay at the one (fantastic) primary school .

There is so much to do, but tomorrow I would love to take a little time alone with my yarn to become reacquainted after all this time.

Another milestone today. Darling H is four months old. I can't even put into words how full of love I am for our little poppet. I can't think about her without breaking into a smile. She is not feeling so jolly today as she has her first ear infection. Poor little sweety. I am optimistic that she will be better in no time powered by mother's milk.

Oh and she has started solids. Early? very. Guided by me? NO! She has been eating the steri strips that hold her orthodontic plate in place. The whiskers from my last post. I was beside myself watching her pull them off just as quickly as I put them on. The above image was one of my failed attempts to foil her- train tracks that took me longer to put on than her to take off. Thankfully one of the orthodontists at the RCH came up with the great suggestion to put some of the duoderm base tape over the top of the steri strips. No more surprises at nappy change time. She can still take her plate out, but that is a whole different ball game. Before we know it, this will be a thing of the past. Time really does fly.

"Mum look! The baby has whiskers!"

2009-12-15T21:46:00.004+10:00

That has to go down as my favourite comment about H so far! Today when out for coffee with the girls, there was a little boy who could not take his eyes off H. Of course, people look at her wherever we go so I just smiled at him and placed my attention back with the girls. When the boy's Mum returned from the counter he said that gorgeous line at the top of his voice. His poor Mum apologised but I told her there was no need to be sorry and that he made my day. As she pointed out, children have such a great knack of saying things as they see them.

He went on for the whole rest of the time we were there smiling at and talking to H. I wonder if he will always remember the baby with whiskers.

Now we have renamed the steri strips that are holding H's plate in place and taping her upper lip to help draw everything together as whiskers. The plate and taping have done the more tremendous job and will hopefully give her surgeon more options when repair time comes.

Speaking of, no date yet. In the meantime, I have been looking at lots of before and after photos from online contacts. What most adults have to say about H really is true, surgeons can do so much these days. I trust that our precious little darling is in good hands.

If you wanted to know a little more about whiskers, this link to a Canadian orthodontist has some information about the plate, lip taping and H's Christmas gift from Dr Hugh, a nasal stint which she will hopefully get next week.

Mother Nature delivers a reminder.

2009-11-24T21:10:00.000+10:00

After a long day with a hospital appointment for H which has left her feeling a little sore, I was out the front pacing along with her tucked up in her sling. I was also feeling a little miserable and sorry for myself, focusing on what I don't have when Mother Nature stepped in to remind me that when you look at things a little differently you can get a pleasant surprise.

Our three year old neighbour escapes from her house often and likes to come over here. One day she pulled all the leaves off some succulent plants growing in pots. Every last leaf.

I often glance at them think what a shame these plants were ruined.

But today I looked a little closer, and to my surprise all but one or two of the leaves have sprouted and they are their very own fresh and new plant.

Most of the time I feel very happy and content living by the motto that life is what you make it. When I get caught up thinking about what I don't have is when I feel sad. Those plants lost every leaf they have, but now the original plants which were looking quite sparse have not only grown new leaves but are a part of a much bigger, thriving succulent colony.

Nourish

2009-11-06T13:20:00.002+10:00

During my ultrasound when I received the news that H has a cleft lip and probably palate, the first thing I wanted to do was head to the maternity ward and express some breastmilk for my baby. Since that time 57 days ago I have expressed approximately 45 litres of milk, some of which is stored in my new deep freeze. An unexpected baby bonus investment. My electric breast pump was the other.

My first real challenge with H's condition was accepting that we would not have a traditional breastfeeding relationship. Facing the multiple surgeries, potential problems with speech and hearing, the emotional challenges for her were secondary in those early days to her not receiving milk from the place we both instinctively knew she should be getting it from. I have lost count of the times she has been rooting at my breast and I have gone to unflick my bra to feed her. We still have lots of skin to skin contact and I offer the breast when I take her orthodontic plate out but of course it is not the same and it never will be.

As you can see from the photos, things started out from a very tiny place with me celebrating yields of a mililitre. The photo where I am holding the two syringes on colostrum was such a proud moment of a tremendous volume of 14ml. Without the support of a few wonderful women from the hospital and a couple of darling friends I am not sure things would have gone so well in those early days.

An unexpected difficult part of our journey is well meaning breastfeeding advocates telling me that cleft affected children can breastfeed. Yes, absolutely in some cases, but not in ours. Maybe post palate repair we could have a slim chance, but even then I will still need to supplement. So hearing that I could be breastfeeding from people who have probably never seen a child with a cleft lip and palate, let alone actually reading the material that they are suggesting I read themselves upsets me.

While talking about and working through the hard parts, I like to focus on the positives and with our different breastfeeding style there are numerous. With all the appointments we face and our reliance on so many health care professionals it is nice that there is one thing that only I can do and provide for her. She is thriving on my milk gaining weight each week.

I am proud of every millilitre I express for H and make sure I make my pumping sessions (usually around 6 a day) as pleasant as possible. ABC's iView for one is brilliant as well as my dvd collection revisiting favourite shows and movies. When H is awake during pumping time I prop her up on the bed next to me and talk or sing to her. The great thing is she can talk back. Something the girls with a nipple in their mouth did not get to do.

Another great thing is a newfound ability to get on top of blocked ducts very quickly and have them cleared within a couple of sessions. I lost count of the amount of times I got mastitis while breastfeeding the older girls. This time blocked ducts happen quite easily but fortunately do not last.

I was planning on talking about nourishing the nourisher too, but this post has gone on long enough. Maybe another time.

Smile

2009-11-06T12:34:00.005+10:00

We have been getting the most beautiful smiles for the last few weeks but this is the only photo I have managed to snap. Laughter and more little baby conversations are creeping in every day too.

So utterly blessed

Six months on...

2009-11-01T18:09:00.002+10:00

Talk about a journey and life changing six months. We have all grown so much during my bloggy hiatus.

In the days after my last post we got the news that we would be leaving Dubai. in a bit of a hurry Not quite Maria and Captain Von Trapp style but at the time it felt a little like it.

We returned to my birthplace for a lovely Queensland winter. I never thought I would live here again, but I have a feeling we will be here or nearby for quite some time to come.

So what else has been going on?

Not long after we returned, husband got a new job. Not quite as challenging as the last but in my opinion there is nothing wrong with that, for a little while at least.

Around the same time our G became a preppie at a gorgeous little school a bit of a drive from our place. She has truly blossomed there and will be very sad to say goodbye to her teacher at the end of the year. I love the school run and having a goss with the Mums each day.

E is growing up so quickly too. She still loves to sing and dance. She will break into song and put on an impromptu show often. Both girls started dance class at the local youth club a little while back and took to them like a storm.

As for my bump....

In mid September at 42 weeks + 1 day gestation I gave birth to a precious girl. We had the most beautiful birth with the most amazing midwife present. I had been 5cm and having contractions that were going nowhere for weeks so consented to ARM. Two hours later our darling was in our arms no need for any further intervention and my birth plan was followed almost to a T. She has the most amazing blonde hair in a mohawk (of course) and sparkling blue eyes.

The day before her birth I was having an ultrasound because I was post dates, just to ensure that baby and I were still going well when it was discovered that our darling has a cleft lip. At the time they suspected bilateral but after her birth it was confirmed that she has a complete unilateral cleft lip and palate. Her palate's cleft is quite significant (the women folk in our family don't tend to do things in halves!)

I can't say enough about the hospital I birthed at and how I felt completely safe and nurtured by all the midwives and nurses in the maternity ward, the speech therapist and gorgeous social worker. A couple of the ultrasound technicians who I had met even came up to check in to see how we were going.

I will devote a whole post to our darling and the journey we have had over the last seven weeks since her birth. I am so stoked to have another little girl and am so in love with her and her huge smile.

On the knitting front, since my return here I made quite a few new baby things as well as some little gifts for G's teacher who is expecting her first child early next year. I also took part in a fantastic swap with some great women on Ravelry. There were 12 or so of us participating and we made an 8x8 inch square for each member so we could all make a blanket. I still have not put mine together, but am really looking forward to it as the blanket will come in handy come January when the first of H's operations is anticipated.

It feels so good to be dusting the blog off. I hope I can be back often.

Cutbacks

2009-04-24T15:31:00.004+10:00

This week my husband and I have been talking about our financial goals and the way the cost of living in Dubai is way higher than we had anticipated despite our research before moving over here. Just as an example, our rent, which must be paid in advance annually works out to be approx $1100 per week for a 3 bedroom townhouse. The books and real estate websites we looked at before moving here suggested at least half that. We soon learned that real estate websites were at the time not kept up to date. It was during the boom and villas were being snapped up at a very fast rate.

We have decided to make some serious cutbacks in order to actually move forward and hopefully return to Australia next year. Our financial situation and the current world economic climate has me thinking about the way previous generations got on during the tough times.

The blanket pictured above is a beautiful example of stretching something and making use of every last scrap. The image is not as clear as I would have hoped, but this knitted baby blanket was passed on to me when my paternal Grandmother died 22 years ago. It measures about 50x30cm as must have over 100 knots from where the small lengths of cotton were joined. I treasure this blanket for the love and beauty that went onto such a frugal piece that has lasted over time.

A BOY

2009-04-16T02:10:00.006+10:00

Well my nephew, born in the wee small hours of this morning, USA central time is. Congratulations to my gorgeous sister, her husband and daughter. It was very exciting to be receiving updates from my mother and youngest sister on my blackberry from the time she reached transition until Peter was blissfully enjoying his first drink of breastmilk.

Our darling's secret is safe for another few months, but I really miss knitting longies so I have decided to make several different pair of whatever takes my fancy. I can either gift or sell those that we decide we will not need.

I love the colourway, but am not happy with the pooling both on the body and leg of the longies. I recently made a hat from the same wool that came out in beautiful stripes.

The ruffled cuff is from my Field Guide To Knitting stitch dictionary.

Happy Birthday to my darling Charlotte back in Australia, and in the USA my sweet little nephew Peter and Happy Birthing Day to my wish come true, Rhianon.

Long overdue update

2009-03-29T01:44:00.004+10:00

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I have posted. This is a combination of several things including an obsession with Twitter, illness earlier in the month and I have been knitting up a storm.

My bump is growing beautifully and our wriggly little one is 18 weeks. It is such a relief to be past the nausea and other early pregnancy complaints. It is nice to enjoy all the foods I love again and even had a little of my Beloved's curry when we ordered Thai a few nights ago.

Speaking of the fella, we celebrated our 7th Wedding Anniversary this week. Time sure does fly!

On to my knitting. Last year while I was in Australia I became involved in knitting scarves that went along with swags for homeless people. I have decided to make a head start this year and have joined the Yahoo group Knitting for Brisbane's Needy. Here are a few things I have made so far that will be making the trip back to Au with us in two months time.

For my family I have made some doll hats and clothes, a soaker and a sweet little tunic for our bubba. The WIP is a kimino top that I need some motivation to finish.

Some friends in Australia will be having babies soon. Here are some little gifts I made and sent off.

The girls and I have been dyeing wool with Kool-Aid. It is unbelievably fun and easy to do. Here is our first attempt. (Katanya, it is the Merino I bought from you. I hope you are not offended that I used Kool Aid on it instead of a more professional dye!)

Further details about the knitting I have done this month can be found on my projects page at Ravelry.

So that has been our month. The girls are going very well. G can tell the time now and wears her watch everywhere. B is heavily into counting, adding and subtracting. She is also very insistent that our baby is a girl... we'll see.

Investment piece

2009-03-01T22:32:00.004+10:00

With each pregnancy there has been a piece of clothing I have spent more money on than I usually would. With G it was some great trousers for work, B an awesome denim skirt.

Today was my golden purchase for number 3- a maxidress from Prémaman. Super comfy cotton in great colours and room for me to grow. I imagine that I will be living in this. Temps are already above 30 here and it is just going to get hotter.

Placenta Pattern beta

2009-02-14T21:09:00.007+10:00

Please bear with me.. this is the first time I have ever tried to write a pattern. It has not been tested either, so all feedback is greatly appreciated and will go to improving the pattern (not to mention my pattern writing skills)

This was made from stash yarn so my preference was realistic colour over anything else. I ended up with two different width wools-
Patons Jet- colour number 8 variegated reds x1
Spotlight Basics Entwine- colour number 231 variegated purples x1

Tools

Set of 4 9mm dpns for placenta

2 6mm dpns for icord umbilical cord

(I used a long circular with the work divided into three sections)

Tapestry needle

4 stitch markers

Fleece, hobby fill or waste yarn for stuffing

Worked in the round all in one piece

Base

co 3

R1 kfb each stitch. Arrange stitches on 3 dpns, using a marker after the first stitch to indicate the start of round [12 stitches]

R2 knit

R3 *k1 kfp k1 kfb k1* continue this pattern for the round [18 stitches]

R4 knit

R5 *k1 kfb k3 kfb k1* as above [24]

R6 knit

R7 *k1 kfb k5 kfb k1* continue [30]

Continue increasing 6 stitches in this pattern every second round until the placenta reaches the desired circumference

Purl 1 round for a defined edge

Top

R1 *knit to halfway along dpn k2tog pm knit to last two stitches on dpn k2tog* repeat on other two dpns

R2 knit

R3 *k to 2 stitches before marker k2tog sm k to 2 stitches k2tog* repeat

R4 knit

Continue decreasing this way until there are 12 stitches left.

Cut the two strands of yarn about 1 meter in length (longer if you want a longer umbilical cord)

Thread both strands of wool on a tapestry needle and run the needle through the stitches.

Remove 1 strand from the needle and thread the remaining one through a further 6 stitches.

Don't pull tightly yet as you will need to stuff the placenta.

Using desired fill, lightly stuff the placenta through the hole.

Picking up stitches either side of 1^st strand, make an icord. Repeat for second icord. As I mentioned, the wools I used were two different sizes so to make the icord the same size I used 4 stitches for the red and 3 for the purple.

Once icord reaches desired length thread the remaining yarn through tapestry needle, run the yarn through the stitches, pull and secure.

Wrap icords around each other and sew together.

To help the fill stay in place, sew the top and bottom together with just a couple of stitches along each decrease line.

Please forward any feedback to support [at] strickerin [dot] [com]

This pattern is for personal use only. Please do not sell items made from this pattern.

Love Fridays- bumming around again

2009-02-13T21:24:00.004+10:00

Our little darlings used to enjoy an early bed time, and I enjoyed their early bed time too. A chance to withdraw into a quiet space after a day of mothering. Lately though partying all night has been much more interesting to them, probably because I don't take them anywhere. In the last 6 weeks we have left our compound (townhouse complex, not some cult locked away thing) probably a dozen times.

After an 11.30 bedtime last night, they are exhausted today so I am taking advantage of it and having a bedroom day. They have their little table set up in here so they can draw and my room has become full of toys. I am camped out on our bed knitting a birthday gift for a neighbour and updating some stuff on Ravelry.

One day I will be ready to get back out into the world...

Finished: ribbed baby cardi and placenta

2009-02-12T19:20:00.004+10:00

One placenta. Easy pattern to make and nice little reminder about something we all needed on our journey earthside.

And here is the cardi. I am not really happy with the way it came out. Where I picked up the stitches is quite messy and the seams for the sleeves are quite thick due to my cast on edge not being very neat. If I were to try this one again, I would use an even smaller needle for the rib so I could pick up a stitch on every row. I would work the front at the same time as the back and would use a provisional cast on when I get to the sleeves.

I don't have much in the way of decorative closures in my collection so will add one when I have been back to Australia.

Check out Meet Me at Mikes

2009-02-10T00:47:00.003+10:00

Meet Me at Mikes has more ways to help the victims of the bushfires. Please pop on over to see if there is anything you can do.

Update

2009-02-09T21:59:00.008+10:00

It has been a little while, so I feel I need to give a proper update as to what has been happening.

Baby
is growing beautifully and my hormones are doing all the delightful first trimester things.

FOs and WIPs

We have a simple but very useful pin cushion come knitting notions holder, the placenta WIP and a cardi for our little one from Debbie Bliss Special Knits. I still have not washed or blocked the cardi and will be sure to post a photo when it is done.

Shopping

Our lovely delivery man has dropped some lovelies on my doorstep in the last week or so. From the Knit Picks sale some gorgeous hand dyed Peruvian Highland Wool, some thin circs to enhance my needle collection and one as a birthday gift for a friend who is celebrating her special day next week. I also finally invested in a ball winder that G is giving a test ride here with some of the yarn from her own little stash.

Finally, I received some lovely BFL from a UK family business, World of Wool. I feel so unAustralian, but I must confess that BFL is my favourite wool to work with. It is so lovely and soft. This particular delivery actually still smells like sheep and seems to have a lot of natural lanolin left in. Yum.

Australia Day

So sue me. I am late talking about our Australia Day and what we got up to; baking lamington cupcakes. I don't have the patience to make proper lamingtons so instead we made vanilla cupcakes that the girls iced with chocolate icing and sprinkled with dessicated coconut. Add the Australia flag and they are just as good as a proper lamington. Our friends enjoyed them too. Oh and I watched a McLeod's Daughters season 8 marathon. Hours and hours of Hot Matt. sigh

Life in Australia has taken such a tragic twist in the last week and I urge everyone who has the means to visit the Red Cross to donate to the bushfire and flood appeal.

Her beauty and her terror-
The wide brown land for me!

Dorothea MacKellar OBE

Uterus

2009-01-25T18:06:00.003+10:00

Here we are, one uterus. Next I am going to try a placenta.

Love Fridays

2009-01-23T15:41:00.005+10:00

This weekend is a bit of a non event as DH is away on business making it feel like business as usual. Still with nausea, I am not venturing far from home these days so my plans are to-

Finish knitting my uterus. (I am sure that is on the top of everyone else's to do list)

Spend some time with my girls which is a nice thing about Fridays. The week is a social time for them, but at least for Friday morning they tend to stay home.

And not a whole lot more. You can see what everyone else who is playing Love Fridays is up to at Tinniegirl

Small knits for a small person

2009-01-02T22:57:00.006+10:00

*~ OUR SMALL PERSON ~*

We are thrilled to bits with the news that we will be welcoming baby number 3 later this year. As soon as my stomach started churning and I gained my superpower sense of smell I decided to cast on these yummys knit in BFL in a colourway that I am calling Very Hungry Caterpillar. Though it looks more blue than green in my photo.

So we have some newborn sized longies in the Baa Bum pattern that my gorgeous friend and owner of the Small Things blog created. My go to infant hat, Umbilical Cord from Stitch n Bitch and a teeny tiny pair of Simply Sweet Socks.

Y2K9 and Happy New Year

2009-01-01T01:36:00.005+10:00

Earlier today something quirky happened. Simultaneously, all the Zune 30gb players in the world met their demise. Just a month ago DH was talking about upgrading to the 120gb model and I strongly disagreed because ours were working just fine.

Looks like Microsoft have decided it is time for all of us using the original players that it is time to upgrade.

In the scheme of things, it is not a biggie. I pity the poor folk taking tech support calls right now.

Happy New Year. Here's to a bright 2009.

I have been busy knitting more little things and will post about them soon.

A Card from G

2008-12-20T02:26:00.003+10:00

I've said it before and I'll day it again, I am truly blessed.

Love Fridays

2008-12-20T01:32:00.006+10:00

Remember a few weeks ago when I posted about the giant Christmas tree at my local shopping mall? Well I learned a little something about it this week which made our family want to go back for another look this time with my proper camera and a couple of different lenses.

Those are not your everyday ornaments but are actually 40 000 Swarovski Crystals each retailing for over $140 AUD! Even more astounding is the fact that there is a lone security guard and you can walk right up to the tree.

They are just gorgeous. Sadly my photos do no justice to the way they twinkle in the sunlight.

Looking up.

Here is a close up of the star at the top

This one is from inside the centre, with the Burj Dubai in the background.

While I was taking that last shot, sneaky DH and G were off buying me these.

Our festive season has been extra special this year and DH wanted me to have a keepsake.

Ever felt green?

2008-12-17T22:41:00.004+10:00

Green, originally uploaded by Strickerin.

I do right now. So I decided to browse flicker to look for some groovy green knits.

Photo credits~1. Green knit, 2. Hand Knitted Green Christmas Blythe Hat --, 3. Green Alpaca Wool Knit Scarf, 4. Presence - Green Knitted/Crocheted shawl/scarf, 5. green knitting and henna, 6. project stashbust - my green problem, 7. fetching loves green, 8. Knitting Close up, 9. Green baby jacket

I knew this day would come

2008-12-12T04:50:00.005+10:00

Snap goes the knitpicks.

I have been working with wooden knitting needles for a couple of years now and this evening I suffered my first casualty. Naturally 4mm and of course my much loved knitpicks harmony.

Such a shame as I really have my groove on with this baby blanket and am past the halfway mark. Now I will have to wait for a replacement tip to arrive.

The silver lining is that I have been wanting to order a couple of extra plastic sleeves for my needles, 12mm tips and a set of DPNs for a little while so I took this opportunity to get them. If they arrive in time I will wrap the extra goodies to open Christmas day.

A morning at the park

2008-12-08T22:50:00.002+10:00

In the last couple of weeks there seems to have been more rain than we have seen the rest of the year combined. Here are some shots from a regular sunny day at our local.

Five

2008-12-06T02:01:00.008+10:00

when I have said my evening prayer

and my clothes are folded on the chair
and mother switches off the light
i'll still be four years old tonight

but from the very break of day
before the children rise and play
before the darkness turns to gold
tomorrow i'll be five years old

five kisses when i wake
five candles on my cake
(M. Meyer Kort)

That gorgeous verse is a family tradition for each birthday eve and here is another special thing that adds to our celebration. Each family member has their own candle, today it was a cupcake with a candle. We each hold our lit candle and take it in turns sharing a wish for the birthday person before blowing our candles out. Ultra warm and fuzzy.

Something great at Starbucks

2008-12-05T02:19:00.002+10:00

Not the overpriced, inconsistent coffee or junk food, I am talking about these awesome yarny Christmas decorations. I can't believe I have never thought to do anything like that...

Today's sunset and some festivity in Dubai

2008-11-29T04:36:00.006+10:00

It's super grainy because it was taken on my phone, but this was the gorgeous sunset my family got to enjoy after a spot of shopping. I know, your boring typical view from your local shopping centre. Don't know why I'm sharing it really. Because it was quite hazy, you can't really appreciate how massive the Burj Dubai just to the right of the sun actually is. If I think about it next time I am at the shops I will take a decent camera to show what the skyline is like these days.

This time of year is amazing. The weather is gorgeous and people are moving into holiday mode with National Day this coming week, Eid next and Christmas just around the corner.

In true Dubai style where bigger is better, at the centre was a massive Christmas tree. Again, the shot is with my phone, so quality pretty ordinary but to help you with scale, that is a full sized palm tree in the foreground and I was standing about 2 metres above the level the tree started on.

In knitting news, I am four balls into eight for the baby blanket and completed one legwarmer. Not a scrap of Christmas knitting as yet despite some great patterns in the last few copies of Simply Knitting.

If anyone is looking for me

2008-11-20T22:56:00.005+10:00

This is where I will be for the next few days WIP in hand gazing out breathing in fresh sea air. I am working with some corn yarn purchased during our stay in Australia making a baby blanket but I can't say I know exactly who it is for.

Six Months

2008-11-08T20:29:00.001+10:00

Looks like I am going to be very busy with this undyed Montana Tahgee, Blue Faced Leicester and Merino wool purchased from my dear friend K of The Small Things. I originally planned on dyeing all of it, but now it is in my hot little hands I would like to leave most of it in it's current state.

It is well worth the wait, but wow, it took six months to the day to travel via sea mail from South East Queensland AU to Dubai UAE. I know of some sea mail packages that never made it to their destination so I guess i should be grateful to have it at all.

Anyone else had any dodgy sea mail experiences?

Burp

2008-11-05T21:07:00.002+10:00

It is a proud day for B who at age 3 years and two weeks worked out that she can burp on cue. At almost 5 years of age, G had no idea and is astounded watching her little sister amuse herself.

Knitting posts coming soon.. promise.

Legwarmers

2008-10-07T16:36:00.004+10:00

A friend has asked me to make a pair of legwarmers for her little girl and here are the prototypes I have made while creating a pattern.

I almost want a pair myself.

Humbled

2008-10-01T11:29:00.003+10:00

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending a moment in time with my friend and meeting her baby, the recipient of this who at two weeks of age weighs half what my second cherub did at birth.

As someone who has never been to the big hospital, seeing the size of the special care unit came as a bit of a surprise. All those little darlings who have had a harder start to life than most, the loving parents and the dedicated staff left me feeling completely humbled.

This Is... what I want to be when I grow up

2008-09-19T22:30:00.005+10:00

When I was a little girl I wanted so much to be a teacher. That was until my disgruntled year 5 teacher told me that it is a crap job and that I could do whatever I want. Way to sell the profession.

For now I am very happy as a housewife. I love what I do and my only goals outside caring for our family are building my personal interests like knitting, charity knitting and breastfeeding advocacy.

j / f / photos

In anything goes land, I would love to be a yoga instructor. For the record I have not been to yoga for a very long time and when I did go I was a total beginner, but I would like to be one all the same.

Thanks to Bugandpop for this week's theme and Handmaiden for being the caretaker of the Meme while Angela is abroad.

Melbourne (and Geelong) Mosaic

2008-09-19T22:30:00.002+10:00

From Strickerin

With all the illness and drama we have had during and since our visit to Victora, I have not had the chance to sort through my photos. Here are a few images from our trip. Mostly things I see on every visit but never bothered to capture. I love the terrace house third from the top on the left. It is across the road from my FIL's place. A new sight was the tunnel entrances on the new highway out in the east also it was our first visit to the National Wool Museum in Geelong.

Complete: baby blanket

2008-09-17T18:30:00.009+10:00

The lovely baby blanket I was working on a few weeks ago has finally been gifted along with an umbilical cord hat I whipped up with the extra wool. Both patterns are from Stitch n Bitch Handbook, though did them from memory as I left my copy in Dubai.

My gorgeous friend Renee who will be a Mum for the first time in a few weeks also liked the title of the book I popped in with her gift. Now it would be lovely if her little cherub could be extra considerate and come at 39 weeks so I can meet him or her before returning home.

Edited on 19/09 to let you know that around the time I posted this, little Isla made her way into the world five weeks early. Reports so far are that Mum and bub are fine. How sweet is the name Isla? I am looking forward to meeting her and giving my friend a hug, minding swollen breasts of course :)

Best... Play School.... EVER

2008-09-12T09:57:00.006+10:00

My favourite episode of Play School was on today, one from a few years ago that has everything for this knitty SAHM.

1/ Hot Matt (Matthew Passmore)

2/ Hot Matt knitting! sigh

3/ Justine reading a great book, Woolly Jumper: the story of wool.

and the arched window thrown in for good measure.

Thanks everyone for your comments after my last post. Both of my blossoms have had nasty viruses which have meant we are sticking around in Australia for another months while they build their immune systems back up. (all the more hot Matt and Playschool for us :)

Image from ABC

This Is... a hospital corner

2008-08-25T19:55:00.006+10:00

My precious big little girl has been in hospital after a couple of dicey moments of unconsciousness. The Dr's believe it was fainting due to a virus and that she will be ok. They have also ordered some more tests to rule out anything nasty.

I still feel so sad and freaked out from seeing my angels face go grey and her eyes unresponsive.

Sticking to Elizabeth Zimmerman's motto, I did indeed knit on with confidence and hope through this crisis and I am now up to the border of the baby blanket from my last post.

This Is... a work in progress

2008-08-10T07:00:00.000+10:00

Excellent timing for this week's theme from Debbie Hill [kept in a jar] as I have been working on a baby blanket for my friend who is having a little one in October. I don't think she reads this blog, but just in case I have kept the photos fairly vague. Once it has been gifted I will tell you more about it.

You can see what everyone else is up to at Three Buttons.

Our woolies are ready for some lovin'

2008-08-08T20:27:00.007+10:00

We are off to Melbourne in the morning, with a little prayer to St Christopher or whoever the saint who looks after travellers is as we are flying QANTAS. I never thought I would see the day when I was feeling uneasy about stepping on to one of their planes....

Anyway, back to nice things, here are some of the woolies I have been working on over the last few weeks all packed up and ready to go. The scarves are made following a simple yet effective looking stitch pattern that I found at Yarn Harlot. Also piggle and a variation of calorimetry from knitty can be found among our goodies.

I was enjoying knitting up these scarves so much that I made this one for a friend. His was made with a thicker yarn and I think that the pattern really popped in his. Here it is all bundled up with the care instructions from the ball band attached to one of my Moo cards.

Tagged

2008-08-06T11:24:00.004+10:00

I was tagged by lovely Alexandra from Potty Mouth Mama to share 6 random things about me, so here goes.

1/ I love coffee, but if I dare have a cup after about 3 in the afternoon I am up quite literally all night.

2/ I am an ABBA nut. It was my first word, much to my mother's dismay and by the age of 4 I was working the record player and listening to their albums non stop. Still love them and am enjoying the latest ABBA craze.

3/ I hate words being abbreviated in text messages. c u, gr8 and the like make my skin crawl. Don't even get me started on people using them in emails or forums.

4/ A psychic told me that my husband just bought a band new 4wd and that he needed to get the brakes checked on it. He of course dismissed what she said and did not ask about the brakes when he took it in for it's 1000k service, but when he called to pick it up they said it would be another day because they found a problem with the brakes. do do do do.

5/ I am not keen on sand which is something I am getting over living in a sand pit and all.

6/ I love doing laundry and get a very satisfied feeling looking at my washing neatly pegged up on the line.

Anyone who wants to do this one, please consider yourself tagged.

This Is... My Trade Secret

2008-08-02T20:16:00.005+10:00

Well, for the first time in ages, a knitting post on what is supposed to be a knitting blog.

This is.. my trade secret. Not so much a secret, but the way I like to organise my cherished knit picks interchangeable knitting needles. With my knit picks I have been able to pass on all my straight needles and just have a few 30 and 40cm fixed circulars in regularly used sizes. By using the long cables and a variation of the magic loop, I have been able to do without DPNS as well.

My only issue with them is that the points do not come with any markings identifying the size, however some id tags are provided in the kit so I have used some hair elastics to slip over the id tag and then wrap around the needles. It keeps them looking neat and now I can see them at a glance.

My Mum tip of the trade, is remember children are people too.

Listening to and loving

2008-07-31T19:04:00.004+10:00

Pete Murray, Summer at Eureka

Love, love, love it.

This Is... My Phobia

2008-07-28T15:04:00.006+10:00

Vile little creatures.

Cane Toads are considered a pest in Australia because they:
* poison pets and injure humans with their toxins
* poison many native animals whose diet includes frogs, tadpoles and frogs' eggs
* eat large numbers of honey bees, creating a management problem for bee-keepers prey on native fauna
* compete for food with vertebrate insectivores such as small skinks
* may carry diseases that are can be transmitted to native frogs and fishes.

Photo credit- Ozwildlife

Info about canetoads- Australian Museum Online

Thanks to Angela for this week's freestyle theme. After all the fluffy This Is posts I have been churning out I thought it time for a little grit.

Just a Minute... In July

2008-07-28T13:29:00.007+10:00

Just saw this meme hosted by Jenaveve at August Street so thought I might have a go too. With my lack of blogging this month I feel I have some making up to do.

In July I'm...

Reading... Trust Your Vibes by Sonia Choquette and not many blogs due to lack of computer time :(

Listening... to Songs to Make you Smile by Justine Clarke. My girls are big fans and were very happy her new CD came out the week after we arrived in Australia.

Travelling... Up and down the M1 from north of Brisbane to the Gold Coast a couple of times a week.

Learning... Exactly how much my children crave the regular rhythm of their day now that we are on holidays and finding our days more unpredictable

Finding... The rain and cold weather a wonderful change from the endless blue skies and heat of Dubai

Eating... Vegetable soup. My very favourite winter food. I cook up a batch each week or two and would serve it every night if my family would not complain so much.

Knitting... up a storm in preparation for our Melbourne trip in a couple of weeks. If I am so cold with a South East Qld winter imagine how I will go down south!

This Is... What Makes Me Happy

2008-07-20T20:43:00.004+10:00

My life makes me happy. I have my health, wonderful family and fantastic friends. I am not hungry and my drinking water is clean. I am not too hot or cold and no one is hurting me. The only fear I live in is things I put into my own mind or if I get sucked into watching the news. I am able to be at home with my children, but have the freedom to be able to work outside the home if that is what I desire.

I know, another cheesy post from me this week, but I really am a happy camper at this point in my life.

Thanks to Jacinta and Angela.

Not by the cut on my chinny chin chin

2008-07-16T21:54:00.001+10:00

Poor little B split under her chin yesterday requiring a trip to the emergency ward for some glue and sticky plaster. She was really cool throughout and even managed to tease big sister while being checked out by the triage nurse. She is two but always says she is four because it gets a huge rise out of G.

Big sister was beside herself, so upset that B was hurt. On the trip to hospital she was crying saying this was the worst thing that ever happened in her life. We should be so lucky.

This Is... What Gives Me Goosebumps

2008-07-12T23:35:00.000+10:00

Juddie at Flightless Boyds flouted the rules by choosing two themes this week, so I will do my own flouting by listing some of the many warm and fuzzy things that give me goosies.

1/ My precious girls

2/ Call to prayer

3/ Newborn babies (what is it that makes them smell so divine?)

4/ k.d. lang's awesome voice. Seeing her live was something I will always cherish. Simply amazing

5/ The moon, especially when full or other special times like last year's red eclipse

6/ Puppies

7/ Again with my children. I am just so full of love for them

8/ Home air

9/ The love of my wonderful husband. All together now; awwwwwwwww, or if you are in a different frame of mind; bleughhhhh

Angela at Three Buttons as always hosts This Is.

Rainy Day

2008-07-12T22:36:00.005+10:00

So what is the best thing to do on a cold wet miserable day?

Well I guess it depends on how old you are and how many cold wet miserable days you have seen in your lifetime. I cherished the chance to sit with a cuppa and work on some knitting, the girls however had other ideas.

Fun times all round.

This Is... My Most Treasured Childhood Possession

2008-07-06T19:49:00.005+10:00

This week's theme is from the lovely Danielle at Teacups on Treetops. I adored blip, a bunny who quite literally fell to pieces years ago. She is in this photo from my first Christmas tucked behind my right leg.

Actually, I just spotted another treasured possession that is still loved and played with by my daughters today; my buzzy bee right there in my lap.

And on a crafty note, like my Womble? (immediately to my left) Granny made it for me and also did one for each of my brothers.

Please visit Three Buttons for the This Is blogroll.

In other news we got over our jet leg in no time and have been very busy catching up with friends and family, but that leaves very little internet time. I will try to catch up on my daily reads, and post some recent knitting projects as soon as possible.

This Is... My Best Op Shop Find

2008-06-29T00:26:00.005+10:00

Mine will probably be one of the more simple finds for this week's theme as selected by Lino Forest.

In recent times, I have become a very selective Op shopper and often walk away empty handed. Before last year my life was too cluttered to dare add to it, and now that we have streamlined I would hate to become a pack rat again. Something has to be really special or I have to be certain that we will use it.

The girls use these silver napkin rings most nights and at the bargain price of 25c they are certainly my best find.

You can see the growing list of This Is players at Three Buttons.

Edited to answer questions asked in comments: I found the napkin rings at a store on the Gold Coast, Australia long before we moved to Dubai. Sadly I have not seen any thift stores / op shops here. Although I hear that there are some around.

The gorgeous napkins and matching table cloth come from Butlers, a German chain of homewears stores that are all around Europe and as it happens, my local in Dubai.

Perfect Timing

2008-06-27T23:00:00.006+10:00

We just had our final run to check the mail and I was so happy to receive the following;

A copy of Easy Organisation from Maureen of Cooking My Life as her 100th post giveaway. Thank-you very much! If you want to see the ultimate in organisation you should check out Maureen's kitchen as featured in a This Is a few weeks back. It is amazing.

Also in my mailbox, my copies of New Beginnings and Essence. Some great reading for any breastfeeding advocate, parent, grandparent, educator or anyone really. Oh and I bought a copy of Good Housekeeping cos I like it. :)

I have done just about everything on the list except I would still like to put a dash of colour on my toenails and the last of the knitting will have to wait.

And That's Our Cue to Leave

2008-06-26T19:46:00.004+10:00

It is nowhere near as bad as it sounds for us as we are able to go from air conditioned car to air conditioned house, office, mall etc and the girls can still play outside in the afternoon. The people who are building this city and doing other outdoor jobs do not have it so cushy.

So what's on my to do list before our flight to Australia on the weekend?

Charge camera batteries
Back up computer
Download some more music and audio books for the girls on the Zune.
Check that contacts etc are up to date on phone
Do my This Is for the week
Finish packing (need Melbourne and Brisbane/Gold Coast clothes)
Edit the girls' packing
Wash a shawl that I have knitted as a gift for a friend (it will dry in a flash here)
Finish knitting 2 other gifts
Do a load of laundry
Clean the fridge (DH will be here for most of the summer without us so there is no point in leaving food he won't eat in there)
Teach DH how to use the dishwasher and washing machine (I am serious. A big hello from 1955 here)
Lock valuables in the safe
Do some personal grooming so I don't look like an absolute scruff
Pay the guy who washes the car
Pay the housemaid---ME :) See number 12
Breathe

Happy Birthday Granny

2008-06-25T06:01:00.001+10:00

Today would have been Granny's 79th birthday. She was a great lady and a brialliant crafter. I miss her and would love to have a good stitch n bitch with her.

More Flickr Fun

2008-06-25T05:43:00.004+10:00

Fi has this one over at 16 Bluebirds...

Following are the searches I did, choosing an image from the first page to create the mosaic:

1. name of birth place

2.country where you live

3. favourite kind of house to live in

4. one word to describe your style of decorating

5. favourite town for a city-trip

6. favourite country for a holiday

7. favourite piece of furniture

8. favourite kind of garden

9. favourite flower

10. a historic place you visited and liked very much

11. where would you move to if you had to?

12. favourite room in your house

Here are the links

1. 30 Minutes to Sunrise Redcliffe Jetty-1+, 2. Purity, 3. Kingspan Lighthouse, 4. Relaxing, 5. coffee & the city, 6. australia day, 7. The most comfortable bed ever, 8. Fairy Land, 9. Celestial, 10. Coloseo Cat, 11. Claristorio, 12. three corners